Dating and Rebel
Rebel Without a Causehas been known for being a movie about adoloscents growing up, along with action and thrill. But not many people would guess that this movie acted as a movie to teach teens in the 50s about dating. The romance between Jim (James Dean) and Judy (Natalie Wood) inspired adults to teach their teens about the correct way to pursue relationships. In Rebel Without a Cause, Nicholas Ray utilizes the characters Judy and Jim to illustrate that the key to dating and a successful relationship is complete trust. Jim Stark and Judy are both adelescent teenagers, who have been denied the love they believe they deserve from their parents. Judy's father stopped paying her attention because she has reached a mature age. Judy is confussed because when she tries to act older by wearing lipstick, her father slaps her and calls her a tramp. But when she tries to kiss her father he gets angry at her for not acting her age and slaps her. Her father's confussing behaivor makes Judy an emotional mess. Jim's parents are only there to bail him out when he gets into trouble, and his father lacks disciplinary skills (Barker). His lack of being able to discipline his son also makes him unable to fully love his son because it comes off as if he does not really care about Jim. Because of Jim's rebelius behaivor, his father gets very anxious, which ruins his confidence and makes him feel like he is unable to discpline Jim ("MenuDramaticaÂ®The Next Chapter in Story Development"). Because these two teens lack true parent's in their lives, they run to eachother to fufill the love, that their parents cannot give them, to each other. The trust between Judy and Jim is truly beautiful and unique in the sense that it is absolute and unchanging. In one scene both Judy and Jim want to run away and escape the "zoo" (their parents, the kids at school, and all the other people in town who do not understand them and who do not treat them well). As the camera looks at Judy, the audience can see the fear and nervousness in her eyes. Jim looks directly into her eyes and says, "You can trust me Judy." Judy trusts Jim and goes with him to the mansion. The trust that Judy has in Jim illustrates the trust that people who are dating or married should have in each other. If a husband wants him and his wife to move away from their home because it is dangerous, the wife should be able to trust him and go with her husband because he knows what is best for both of them. Judy also trust that Jim will not hurt or dishonor her. Couples should be able to trust that their spouse will not physically or emotionally harm or hurt the other. Men should also look at Jim for inspration on how to treat women, because Jim follows his word. He does not hurt Judy in any way, in fact he protects and guards her. He proves himself to be completly trustworthy because he lacks trust in his parents. As humans, we strive for affirmation and love. If Judy and Jim had this love and protection from their parents, then maybe the audience would not have found them in the police station in the opening scene. Young adults need to put their faith in something concrete and substantial- if family fails to provide this outlet, they will find it elsewhere. When Judy and Jim are at the police station, they are there for different yet similar reasons. The common problem for them being at the police station is due to the fact that both of their parents give them little attention. The most intimate and sweet scene in the movie occurs when Judy and Jim are in the mansion. Judy says, "I love you Jim. I really mean it." After she tells him that she loves, Jim and Judy share an intimate kiss. This is the first intimate and meaningful kiss the audience sees in the movie. Earlier, Judy and her old boyfriend kiss, but it is in front of their friends, and he forced Judy to kiss him. The kiss is also very quick. This kissing scene is different because Judy kisses Jim. The kiss is slow and they are holding each other while the kiss is taking place. They are also alone, which makes the kiss more personal to the couple. This scene touches on the fact that Judy trusts Jim because he has protected her and has listened to her. Trust in a relationship is vital, because without this trust no on can truly love each other. At the end of the movie, the audience sees Judy and Jim leaving with the police officer. Them leaving together makes them look more mature and older. It is almost as if they have become the adults of the movie. The love and trust that is between them is what grew them up, and made them responsible and mature people. This exemplifies that one can only be in love when they reach a certain level of maturity. All in all, this movie is a great tool to teach young people how to date. Men should follow Jim's example as the protector of Judy. Men should also look up to Jim because of the way he listens to Judy when she talks about her feelings, his tameness towards her, and the way he proves himself to be trustworthy. People who are in a relationship can be inspired by their love for eachother. When audiences watch this film, they can tell that Judy and Jim have a love for each other that is strong enough and does pull them through this hard time that they are going through. Without, trust it is impossible to love. And without love, it is impossible to be in a successful and happy relationship. Works Cited Barker, John. "Rebel Without a Cause." Rebel Without a Cause. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. "MenuDramaticaÂ®The Next Chapter in Story Development." Rebel Without a Cause. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. 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